What Is to Be Done If the Moon-Sighting Committee Acts Contrary to the Fatwa?

Question

If the moon-sighting committee has no one with religious knowledge in it, and even if there is such a person, his opinion is drowned out by the majority of votes, and the city’s moon-sighting committee wishes to enforce its decision contrary to the mufti’s fatwa, what should be done?

Answer

The moon-sighting committee must remain subordinate to the mufti’s fatwa and work under it; otherwise the committee will carry no weight in the Shari‘a, its announcements will not be Shari‘a announcements, and acting on them will not be permitted. If a committee does not accept the word of a religious scholar (‘alim)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.